Sarasota Area
The area around present-day Sarasota was first settled in the 1840s by Europeans, who were attracted by the climate of the Sarasota Bay region. The area had been given a name, Zara Zote, by Spanish explorers beforehand, and upon the settling of the area, the name was changed to Sara Sota. After Sarasota County was created, the city's name was changed to Sarasota. There were a number of large landholders who lived in the region, perhaps the most important being Bertha Palmer, who owned much of the lands of present-day Myakka River State Park and Oscar Scherer State Park. The Ringling family settled in the Sarasota area, and the Ringling Brothers have become fairly famous for a variety of reasons. The Ringling Brothers Circus was established on the northern side of Sarasota in 1919. In the 1920s, the Sarasota area began to grow rapidly. Charles Ringling was one of the developers who significantly contributed to Sarasota's growth, giving other developers advice on how to develop the area correctly. Meanwhile, John Ringling invested in the development of the barrier islands just to the west of Sarasota. These barrier islands include larger ones such as Anna Maria Island, Longboat Key, and Siesta Key, as well as smaller ones such as Lido Key and St. Armands Key. Ringling also invested in expensive artwork. However, with the arrival of the Great Depression, John Ringling nearly became bankrupt, and had he not willed his name, as well as is artwork, to the state of Florida, he would have become bankrupt earlier than his 1936 death. Since then, there have been numerous changes to the downtown district of Sarasota, especially following the construction of Tamiami Trail. The Sarasota/Bradenton metro area continues to be a popular tourist destination, due to the beaches of the barrier islands just to the west.
Much of the Sarasota area is heavily populated, and thus, there are few large conservation areas. However, there is a particularly notable exception to this. To the east of the busy Sarasota/Bradenton metro area, across I-75, the land is very sparsely developed, and this led to the creations of two of Florida's best hiking destinations: Myakka River State Park and T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Reserve. Together, the two conservation areas form more than a whopping 60,000 acres of public land along and just to the east of the Myakka River. Myakka River State Park is one of the best hiking locations in Florida, if you would like to see the Florida prairie. While these two areas are most notable, there is a good couple dozen of small conservation areas scattered across the Sarasota/Bradenton metro area and the barrier islands. Some of the more notable ones include Oscar Scherer State Park (on the south side of Sarasota), Robinson Preserve, Emerson Point Preserve, and Fort Desoto National Memorial (all three are located near Bradenton on the shores of the Manatee River's mouth at Tampa Bay). Also, there are some tracts owned by Lake Manatee State park, east of Bradenton, that have a few hiking trails. Lastly, there are several small tracts of land with some nature trails on and around the barrier islands to the west of Sarasota and Bradenton. Personally, I really like the Sarasota area for hiking due to the variety of ecosystems. Depending on which hiking trails you choose, you may see salt marshes, tidal streams, mangrove jungles, open ocean/bay waters, prairies, and tropical hammocks.
Much of the Sarasota area is heavily populated, and thus, there are few large conservation areas. However, there is a particularly notable exception to this. To the east of the busy Sarasota/Bradenton metro area, across I-75, the land is very sparsely developed, and this led to the creations of two of Florida's best hiking destinations: Myakka River State Park and T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Reserve. Together, the two conservation areas form more than a whopping 60,000 acres of public land along and just to the east of the Myakka River. Myakka River State Park is one of the best hiking locations in Florida, if you would like to see the Florida prairie. While these two areas are most notable, there is a good couple dozen of small conservation areas scattered across the Sarasota/Bradenton metro area and the barrier islands. Some of the more notable ones include Oscar Scherer State Park (on the south side of Sarasota), Robinson Preserve, Emerson Point Preserve, and Fort Desoto National Memorial (all three are located near Bradenton on the shores of the Manatee River's mouth at Tampa Bay). Also, there are some tracts owned by Lake Manatee State park, east of Bradenton, that have a few hiking trails. Lastly, there are several small tracts of land with some nature trails on and around the barrier islands to the west of Sarasota and Bradenton. Personally, I really like the Sarasota area for hiking due to the variety of ecosystems. Depending on which hiking trails you choose, you may see salt marshes, tidal streams, mangrove jungles, open ocean/bay waters, prairies, and tropical hammocks.